Astros battling injuries to multiple players, including Jeremy Peña, Cristian Javier with playoffs on the line

The Houston Astros pulled off a massive win over the rival Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, but it came at a significant cost. The Astros lost both pitcher Cristian Javier and outfielder Brice Matthews during the team’s 7-0 victory.

The injuries come at the worst possible time for the Astros, who moved into first place in the American League West with the win. But with five regular-season games remaining, the team now needs to — at the very least — match the Texas Rangers to actually reach the postseason. Following Tuesday’s contests, both teams hold an identical 78-79 record, but the Astros own the tiebreaker.

In addition to those injuries, shortstop Jeremy Peña took a fastball off his forearm late in Tuesday’s contest and Daulton Varsho missed the game due to a wrist issue. At this point in the season, any player the team puts on the injured list would also miss the wild-card series, putting the Astros in a difficult spot in the final week of the regular season, per The Athletic.

Despite taking a pitch off the forearm, Peña was initially able to stay in the contest. He scored a run shortly after reaching first base, as Yordan Alvarez hit his 41st home run of the season. When the Astros took the field defensively in the bottom half of the inning, Peña was replaced by Nick Allen. X-rays on Peña injuries came back negative.

Javier and Matthews didn’t make it that far. Javier exited the contest after just two innings due to a groin injury. Javier said the injury got worse with each pitch, resulting in him leaving the game. Despite that, he said he still planned to make his last start.

Matthews was removed from the contest in the sixth inning. The outfielder has battled knee issues all season and appeared to aggravate the injury after making a sliding catch in the second inning.

With so much uncertainty surrounding Javier, Matthews and Peña, the Astros either need to play shorthanded in the final week or the regular season or risk losing any of those three players for a possible wild-card series. And the team has to make those decisions knowing every single regular-season on the schedule is a must-win game.

The team can make that decision easier by winning out, ensuring it will make the playoffs. Any stumbles, however, could force the team to make some tough decisions with some of its key regulars.